LIFESAVERS WILD HORSE RESCUE

Dedicated to saving abandoned, abused, neglected and slaughter bound horses

RESCUED HORSES SAVED FROM SLAUGHTER NOW ATTACKED BY WEST NILE VIRUS

July 2010

PLEASE MAKE A GENEROUS DONATION BY CLICKING ON THE PHOTO ABOVE

Update 7/31/10: After the mysterious deaths of some of the rescued mares we had the local vet, Dr. J. Peck, test blood samples from the most recent casualty. The test came back positive for West Nile Virus.

This is devastating news for us. We are doing everything humanly possible to protect the herd from any more deaths from this virus. The vaccinations are being administered immediately at the cost of $3000 for the first doses and we will need another batch in 30 days - another $3000.

West Nile Virus is a mosquito spread disease that comes from birds initially. The mosquito bites the infected bird and passes it on to horses. It is not spread horse to horse or any other way.

Not all of the infected animals will succumb. Some will fight it off with their immune system. Some will be somewhat affected, but will still get through it and about 10% may not. We have lost 4 mares so far and are trying desperately to keep any more from losing the battle.

Our rescue herd has been dealt a lousy hand so far. They were rounded up from their natural home range, dumped at the auction yard to be sold for meat, and even though rescued by us, they are now in a corralled facility waiting for sanctuary - but still in a stressed and un-natural state.

Lifesavers plan is still to find a suitable natural habitat sanctuary for these horses to live their lives. Some may be adopted, but we expect most of them will need to be re-released.

But first we must get them healthy again. And that is going to take time and donations.

Please help us get these horses back to health and out of this Nevada dry lot facility and into a wonderful range they can call home forever.

Newborn foal rejected by her captured mother. Volunteers step forward to care around the clock for orphan "Summer" filly.

We believe the young mother became stressed and confused by the trauma endured from the round-up, auction, and recent change in surroundings, therefore, not bonding with her premature baby. LRTC volunteer Shirley Allen of Dayton, NV is a pro at nursing orphaned foals and we are confident that the baby has the best chance of survival being cared for by Ms. Allen. We will keep you posted on Summer's progress.

Please make your most generous donation today to Lifesavers Wild Horse Rescue

We Managed to keep 172 horses from suffering a cruel - heartless - death by slaughter!
But we need your help now more than ever to care for and provide them sanctuary
Please be a Lifesaver in this historic massive rescue of wild horses and give us your most generous donation now!

Wish List:

Shaders for holding pens - especially for mares/foals. 8x10 or better.

Good grass hay or mix w/little alfalfa

Mustang worthy pipe panels for creating chutes and alleys for vet & loading. 6ft high - heavy gauge.

7300 Acres in Kern County "The Caliente Ranch" listed with Grubb & Ellis for $3,000,000

Dear Friends, Colleagues, Wild Horse Advocates,

Late in June I was alerted to a looming crisis of more than 170 wild horses that were rounded up by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and handed over the the Nevada Dept. of Agriculture (NDoA) for immediate disposal.

Having years of experience working with the NDoA I knew what "immediate disposal" means to them. It is being sold to the highest bidder at the livestock auction that sells horses to kill buyers for shipping to slaughter houses.

These horses were rejected by the BLM as federally protected horses because there were not living in a designated wild horse herd area, but rather undesignated land. It seems these wild horses migrated away from BLM land - maybe years ago - and re-located to private owned land.

A few horses were also picked up on a ranch known as the Winecup Ranch where years ago a rancher let go 8 mares and it is believed by the NDoA are descendants of the rancher's mares.

As you may know - once the Nevada Agriculture Dept. takes over, there is no consideration for the horses - and they have no laws protecting their fate. They can and will be sold, legally, to killer buyers for slaughter. Innocent horses are processed into a meat product and shipped overseas for human consumption.

When hearing of the July 10th date for auction I took quick action and started sending out notices. And gathering support to rescue them. With the help of one very special supporters, Ellie Phipps Price, and many others groups and individuals listed at the bottom of this page, we were able to organize an army of Wild Horse Soldiers who marched in to save the day - and 172 horses from going to slaughter.

Lifesavers could not stand by and allow our government or even Nevada's state government to send these horses to a cruel and unnecessary death. We vowed to outbid the killer buyers on every single horse - wild or domestic in this group and that is what we did. One after another after another. Until all 172 horses that were auction off were safely purchased away from killers.

At the end of the day Lifesavers had 169 of the auction horses and 3 horses were purchased by private, non killer, individuals. None were purchased or given to the killers - NONE.

This rescue was historic. It has never happened like this before. No one group or coalition of groups has ever managed to clean out an auction sale of all its "killer" horses before. It left the auction patrons and workers absolutely stunned and speechless.

Following the sale Lifesavers was able to adopt 3 of our rescued horses to a wonderful woman who had missed her opportunity to save some herself. This brought our number of horses down to 166 at the end of the day.

A convoy of volunteered horse trailers transported our rescued horses and safely deposited them at their temporary home in Fallon Nevada.

Now the real work and worry begins. The horses are safe, but they need to be fed 30 bales of hay everyday.

We have about 75 stallions and they will need to be gelded before we can offer them for adoption or take them to sanctuary. The cost of short term care is expensive and we need ongoing help to get them ready for the last phase of this rescue plan - which is to move them to a natural habitat sanctuary where they can live out their lives in peace and tranquility. Never to be rounded up and auctioned off again.

Please make a donation now. Your most generous donation ever - its imperative that we raise enough money to:

1) feed these horses in their temporary safe shelter until they can be transported to Lifesavers in California or another suitable sanctuary.

2) Find and pay for a suitable sanctuary - preferably expanding our own from a few hundred acres to a few thousand which will allow all of these new rescued horses and others to be re-released into a natural habitat similar to the home that they have been taken from.

I know we have asked a lot of you in the past and you have been so gracious to help us rescue and care for, literally, hundreds of horses since 1997 when we started Lifesavers.

We need you now - more than ever - in this difficult time of year and this difficult economy - please help us complete the rescue of these beautiful American mustangs

Their safety, their future, depends on your participation in this rescue.

Thank you for your support and compassion,

Jill Starr, President, Lifesavers Wild Horse Rescue

Lifesavers would like to express sincere gratitude to the following donors for making this rescue and the short/long term care of the horses possible:

Ellie Phipps Price; ASPCA; Return to Freedom; Madeleine Pickens; Intervet/Schering Plough Animal Health; LRTC/Wild Horse Mentors; American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign; The Cloud Foundation; Bruce and Shirley Allen; Willis and Sharon Lamm; Betty Retzer; Betty Kelly; Bobbi Royale; Bonnie Replogle; Ray and Sheila Schwadel; Shelia Aerick; Darcy Grizzle; Karen Gauthier; Tami Chock; Lona Patton; Kati Bishop; Angela Petruncio; Rachael Waller; Tiffany Podesta; Sharon Kent; Catherine Katt; Shelley Henshaw; Laurie E. Knight; Anne Burns; Sue Perrin; Kimberly Okumoto; Judy Bailey; Ludovica Gerbasi; Dianne Chaffee; Christy Lee Boyer-Kay; Margaret Green; jane Schwartz; John Foottit Jr.; Lynn Jones; Carryl Edwards; Deborah Nich-Johnston; Clair Cabal; Kelly Erwin; Mary Landis; Bruce Hilliard; Ronald Foster; Nyla Haddy; Susan Cline; Wagging Tail Wellness; Maureen Harmonay; Pam Nickoles; Linda Pippin; Lynette Jirik; Michele Dasch; John Connelly; Barbara Lewis; Karla Fischer; Colleen V incent; Shelly Frie; Denise Shay; Robin Bailey; James Springett; Kris Kelley; Karen Schnitzer; Stirrup Cup Farm; Christopher Stone; Shonia Holloway; Bonnie Spears; Karen Mitts; Nicole Widdis; Anita Quigley; Caroline Larrouilh; Janet Lacetera; Katherine Brecka; Sheri Jyringi; Lee Heath; Michelle Winn; Sharon Nelson; Irina Kurtz; Kathy Collins; Robert Cole; Noreen Rossi; Robert Freedman; Sharon Schneider; Deborah Robinson; Victoria Eberwein; Forest Horse; Martha Bouza; Astra Juneja; Diana Tuorto; Robin Shaug; Barbara and Ken Shorf; Jenifer Cooksey; CArina Volante; Jose Rojas; Wyatt Guttenberg; Karen Wible; Andrew Swaffield; M.R.Bonner; Roswitha Jansen; Sharon Jones; Kathryn Tulk; Fabiola Campos; Rui Wang; Carole Mathews; Jan Cioci; Sandra Bignell; Agnes Cruz; Kate Kenner; Sharon Gillespie; Whitney Hamby; Arlene Orlando; Roberta Zur; Bridgett Heinley; A Gouvras; Amy Lynn Kemp; Mindy Radford; Anne-Marie Poreous; Linda Maslin; Maureen Belle; Ram Challa; Deborah Brush; Kathy Harris; Patricia Wynn; Julie Smith; Melinda Clar; Carol Henzel; Kathleen Roediger; Steven Harrison; Lori Smith; Leena Park; Patricia Masuda; Carol Persell; Rachael Waller; Morgan Sky; Kelly Lewis; Alisa Frohman; Caspar Krabo; Melinda Campos; Teckla Wattman; Kim Okumoto; Corie Turner; Joan DaVanzo; Jim McKeever; Sussi Rodriquez; Judy Slayton; Janice Cyrill; Nancy Weir; Laurel Gress; Carrie Sonneborn; Holly Crawford; Patricia McKay; Anna Piccolo; Patricia Brueckner; Michelle Idell; Verena Ellis; Bernice Rossana; Kimberly Perkins; Elizabeth Slagsvol; Gillian Bailey; Karla Weber; Dianne Flynn; Jennifer Boldi; Mary Ann Davenport; Elaine Carlini-Davis; Pearly Partin; Vanessa Robertson; Shelley Henshaw; Heideliza Tan; Sandra Bignell; Diana Multare; Tranquil Moments Skin Care; Lauren Horowitz via Jewish Communal Fund; Valerie Henderson; Christine Richards; Linda Rosenblum; Linda Fante; Erich Volkstorf; Katie McBride; Jaycel Tacchi; Winston Colby; Eugene Masica;

Let Not One Be Eaten!

Correction of rescue numbers:

Originally we were told that there were 174 horses to be auction - the actual number of horses sold at the auction was 172 - we believe this to be due to one horse dying a week or so before the auction took place and a simple miscount of the true number